Commissioned by the GLA and developed by the Young Foundation, the Civic Strength Index is a report and tool that aims to begin to measure what makes a strong community, to ensure it is understood and valued. The Civic Strength Index and its accompanying report are a key pillar of the Building Strong Communities mission of the London Recovery Programme.
The Young Foundation have worked with communities, civil society organisations and a steering group of experts to co-develop a shared definition of civic strength and a set of factors that contribute to this definition. Where possible, datasets have then been identified which contribute to measuring each of these factors, beginning to build a picture of where factors of civic strength exist and thrive across the capital.
Explore the first iteration of the index and the report
How can you use the Civic Strength Index?
The index is a resource which can be used by communities, civil society, policymakers, funders and commissioners to:
- provide a new lens for local authorities and community organisations to understand the strengths of their communities and how best to build on them
- understand how levels of civic strength interact with other key indicators set out in existing datasets (such as the Index of Multiple Deprivation, Living Costs and Food Survey)
- support local and pan-London organisations to identify areas of opportunity to share good practice, fill gaps in provision, and respond to the needs of communities.
Next steps
The first iteration of the Civic Strength Index is by no means complete. We are confident in the definition of Civic Strength and the factors which contribute to civic strength which have been agreed through this process. Where possible, data to measure these factors has been built into the index. However, The Young Foundation have also highlighted gaps in available data, which is currently preventing us from having a complete and robust picture of the distribution of civic strength across the capital.
As we move into the next phase of developing and building out the Civic Strength Index, we will respond to the calls to action set out in the report and work to:
- fill the data gaps identified to make the evidence base sitting under the index more robust
- explore and work with different audiences to get people using and engaging with the index as it grows
- develop methods for maintaining the index.
Get in touch
If you would like to hear more about the index, explore how your team could use it or think about ways that you could contribute to building out the index in year 2, please email [email protected] and we can arrange a conversation.